Giro del Valasco

Route Description for Giro del Valasco

From Terme di Valdieri make your way along the trail to get to The Piano Inferiore del Valasco (1,813 m). You’ll have a magnificent view of the snow on the mountaintops.

After fifteen minutes you reach the Casa di Caccia of Valasco, an ancient hunting lodge of King Vittorio Emanuele II. Now it is a Rifugio with great food and beds for weary travelers.

Following the road on the right, you will reach the Piano Superiore in under 1h. There are some great waterfalls here. Then, you take the trail to the Laghi di Valscura.

After a little over 1.5h you will arrive, thanks to the trails or the military roads, to the Laghi di Valscura 2,265 m) where you can see some barracks.

From the lake, on the left, you’ll follow a trail that will lead you to Claus lake, (2,389 m) a beautiful glacier-fed lake.

From Claus lake you’ll reach the Rifugio Questa (2,389 m high) in under 1h. This Rifugio once was a military barracks but now is a great place for a break. The view from here goes north, onto the Rosa Mount, the Cervino, and the Gran Paradiso.

From the Rifugio, go past the building and continue on, following signs for Piano Inferiore del Valasco and then Terme di Valdieri. Once you’re back in Terme di Valdieri, you just need to remember where you parked your car!

Insider Hints for Giro del Valasco

• From Valasco you can reach the Laghi di Fremamorta, the Colletto del Prefous or the Bassa del Drous.
• From the Colletto del Valscura you can reach the Valle Stura. They are all nice excursions.
• This is a long hike. If you want to break it up stay at the Rifugio Valasco or the Rifugio Questa. Hiking and staying at a Rifugio is a true alpine experience and this is the perfect hike for it.